“A letter is a blessing, a great and all-too-rare privilege that can turn a private moment into an exalted experience.”

February 7, 2013

~ Alexandra Stoddard

Today we celebrate Send a Card to a Friend Day. It is one of those obscure and wacky holidays that seem to fill the modern calendar, but one that really got me thinking about the lost art of letter writing. In a world full of emails, text messages, and immediate responses, other than perhaps the holidays, can you remember the last time you sat down, wrote and mailed a card to a friend or relative?

We use the excuse that we are just too busy, always running from one thing to the next, and why send a letter when we can just send a quick text? Trying to find time in a day full of work, sports, activities, grocery shopping, and family, to sit down and write a handwritten letter to a friend can seem impossible (and impractical). On the other hand, how personal can you actually be when typing a quick text or email? The most personal form of communication continues to be the handwritten letter.

Growing up I was always so excited to receive a piece of mail with my name displayed across the front. When I heard the mailman coming, I would run out to greet him just hoping that there was something in his bundle for me. More often than not, there was not, but when there was, it was the best, most unexpected (but hoped for) surprise. This simple excitement is something that I think all children growing up in this fast paced, technology dominate world should experience.

Teaching our children the importance of the written letter can be fun. One of the first things you have to do is choose what you want to write your letter on. Why not also make this part of the fun, and have your child draw a picture or create a painting, and then have that work of art transformed into a set of note cards? It is just another way to personalize and infuse your personality into the letter that you are writing. Now you just have to select who is going to be the lucky recipient of your letter.

When writing a letter, you do not have to send it to someone who lives across the country or in a far off land; you can have your child write a letter to Grandma who lives just 5 minutes away. Writing a letter offers up an excuse to have your child practice their handwriting, work on grammar and storytelling. It is useful on many levels and is fun too! Once they have written their letter and sealed it up, you can always add fun extras on the envelope. Fun stamps or stickers are always a nice addition and an indication of the fun within!

Whether it is a post card from a traveling friend, a birthday card, or a handwritten letter, getting a personal note mixed in between the bills and junk mail remains something that can instantly bring a smile to my face on any given day. It shows that someone was thinking of me and took time out of their hectic day to tell me that. Do you still mail friends cards and handwritten letters? Is there anything special that you include when you are sending mail? We would love to hear about it! Leave us a comment below with your letter writing tips!